When good picnics go bad…

(Conclusion)

Campylobacter – According to the CDC, Campylobacter is the leading cause of diarrheal disease in the United States and causes between 5 to 14 percent of all diarrheal illness worldwide. Like Salmonella, Campylobacter is usually found in raw poultry and unpasteurized milk. Also, as with any bacterial infection, different people react differently. Some infections have no symptoms, while others may result in arthritis, meningitis or, rarely, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), the leading cause of acute paralysis in the nation. You can avoid Campylobacter infection the same way you would Salmonella; cook all poultry and poultry products thoroughly and wash anything that has come into contact with the uncooked food – most importantly, your hands.

From the home front to the front lines

Although resigning yourself to your discomfort may be your only option once you have contracted a foodborne illness, there are plenty of precautions you can take to safeguard your summer picnics. First of all, let it be said that attacking fellow picnickers with Lysol® and a scrub brush won’t solve anything. Cleanliness is indeed a contributor to health, but chasing people with cleaning products may result in lawsuit, not a happy picnic. Secondly, and more seriously, before worrying about what happens to the food once it reaches the picnic table, you need to make sure it’s safe in the first place. After all, picnic safety begins in your own kitchen. The four key rules that you need to remember are to clean, separate, cook and chill:

• Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.

• Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate

• Cook: Heat to proper temperatures

• Chill: Refrigerate promptly

These food handling rules should be followed at all times, but they’re especially important when preparing picnic food. Few know the significance of these four rules better than an experienced professional caterer, such as "Classic Style" picnics as well as its dedication to food safety precautions. When asked about his number one safety tip for getting off to a safe start, stresses the importance of keeping individual ingredients separated and chilled: When we’re doing potato salad, we always chill all of the ingredients before putting them together – even the potatoes, which are cooked and cooled prior to combining. If all ingredients are chilled, it lessens the opportunity for growth of bacteria. He also points out that when you’re talking about summer picnics, some food items that are known to spoil quickly, such as mayonnaise and other egg products, are best left to indoor events. If someone wants potato salad, try to interest them in a mayo-free dill potato recipe. Or if they want coleslaw, tell them about our vinaigrette coleslaw – also mayonnaise-free. More often than not, picnickers will insist on their traditional favorites, and when it comes down to it, his team are more than qualified to serve it all up as safely as possible. Also, for your own use and for the guests, take portable sinks to a picnic if the venue has no running water. The hand-washing process cannot be done enough. Most picnics, however, are not of the catered variety. You won’t have the luxury of a portable sink or refrigerator at your picnic in the park. This means that, unless you’re picnicking in the Arctic, it’s not enough just to prepare your food safely; you also have to keep it that way. The best way to do so is by using a cooler packed with ice or reusable ice packs. Also, in order to make sure the cooler stays cool en route to your picnic site, store it in the air-conditioned compartment of the car, not in the stifling heat of the car’s trunk. Once you arrive at the picnic, don’t simply plunk your dish down on the table and walk away. As a rule, food should not be left out in summer heat (temperatures above 90oF) for more than one hour, so insulating your contribution to the picnic buffet line is a must. Try nesting your dish or platter in a larger container of ice, or, if you have brought raw meat for grilling, keep it tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap until you’re ready to cook. This will prevent it from coming in contact with any other food items or serving utensils. In addition to maintaining your dish’s target temperature, you must also be sure to keep it covered. At a summer picnic, uncovered dishes draw the worst kind of uninvited guests – flies. If your main gripe with flies is the way they clash with your casserole or upset the color scheme of your buffet, you’ve got another thing coming.

As known carriers of Salmonella and E. coli, flies can wreak havoc on any unprotected picnic. By covering all food items, you can keep flies and the nasty bacteria they carry away from you and your guests. Also, be sure to wash your hands as often as possible, especially if you’ve been handling raw meat. If there is no running water available, bring disposable hand wipes or no-rinse anti-bacterial soap.

A picnic perfect ending

With all of the do’s and don’ts we’ve just gone over, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. You might be asking yourself if a picnic with your folks is worth the risk of suffering through a two-day bout with food poisoning or foodborne illness. Be assured, however, that the final act of your picnicking experience does not have to be a mad dash to the latrines. Now that you know where the dangers lie, you can better avoid them. After all, when the proper precautions are taken, a picnic can be a perfectly safe, sensible and enjoyable summer activity.